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11 NAIA-bound flights diverted after Saudia incident

ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 08/06/2014 2:41 PM

MANILA - Eleven flights had to be diverted to the Clark International Airport and the Cebu Mactan International Airport late Tuesday evening after a Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) plane overshot the runway at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

In an advisory on Wednesday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the runway was closed for landing at 7:03 p.m. due to the incident.

It said the Saudia Airlines B747 aircraft on flight SV871 got stuck on the grassy portion of the runway.

The CAAP issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen), and Aircraft Accident Investigation Inquiry Board (AAIIB) investigators were dispatched on site to determine the cause of the accident.

All 298 passengers and 26 crew of the flight, which was bound for Riyadh, were unharmed.

The runway resumed operations after the CAAP cancelled the NOTAM at 1:36 a.m., and the aircraft was towed to remote parking area for inspection.

The two pilots, identified as Capt. Alfaraidhy Abdulmajeed Abdulraheem and Capt. Al Bassam Adnan Mohammed, were grounded and will undergo medical check-up and inquiry by CAAP investigators.